There is only one thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on right now: the 2018 midterms will be one of the most crucial elections of our lifetime. The candidates and proposals on ballots nationwide have the potential to create major change at local, state, and federal levels of American society. Among other agenda items, individual cities may restructure their campaign finance and community boards rules, and states will debate new affordable housing and energy propositions. With every seat in the House and a third of the Senate up for grabs, some of the races are especially significant: In Texas, the progressive Beto O’Rourke has a shot at unseating the rigidly conservative senator Ted Cruz. In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams could become the first black female governor in American history. Ideologically, the election results will serve as a bellwether of the country’s political direction, mid-Trump. Both sides wait to see if the much-anticipated “blue wave” will flood the polls and place progressive new representation at every level of government.

Pitchfork reached out to politically engaged musicians to discuss why they’re voting in the midterms—be it a candidate, a proposition, an issue, or just a strong civic obligation. In written responses and phone conversations, they offered a wide array of answers ranging from problems that affect their hometowns to national candidates who reflect their values. Above all, they hope you’ll join them in voting on Tuesday.

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Meek Mill

It’s crazy to think that Election Day falls on the one-year anniversary of the day I was wrongfully sentenced to two to four years in prison. November 6, 2017 was one of the worst days of my life, which is why I want November 6, 2018 to be a step in the right direction for reforming the criminal justice system.

People always ask me what advice I’d give those trapped in the system, but honestly, it’s the people outside who need the advice because they have the power to vote and make change. We need to use our influence to put the right people in power—leaders who are focused on creating stronger prison rehabilitation programs and updating old probation policies. That’s why I’m encouraging everyone to vote this year, and to support lawmakers who are committed to changing the criminal justice system and improving our inner-city communities. I’m grateful for leaders like Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, who is determined to address those issues. We can’t keep letting the system swallow up our friends and families.

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Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, The Julie Ruin)

I already voted absentee because there is no way in hell I would miss this election. I’m voting Democrat down the ticket, even though I think the two-party system is inherently flawed. I need for Democrats, even those I don’t 100 percent love, to take over the House and Senate because we are living under the threat of a white nationalist president rolling back everyone’s rights. And I want more women of color in office.

I am voting because watching the Kavanaugh hearings was like having Fred Durst sing “Nookie” into my face for 12 fucking hours. I am voting because the whole Republican/Trump strategy is, “I’m rubber, you’re glue,” aka let’s call the people who are being terrorized “terrorists.” And it is making me so pissed to see the healers and the true soul rebels of this world being cast as villains while the racists are cast as the victims. Trump and friends are actively supporting hate crimes, the erasure of transgender people, and the abolishment of women’s bodily autonomy. They are demonizing people of color to further their agendas and foment fear.

I understand being totally depressed right now and feeling like your vote won’t change anything, but that’s another part of Trump Incorporated’s strategy: training us to think we can’t make a difference. Please don’t let racism, sexism, and homophobia win. Things won’t change immediately, but the least we can do is vote.

Photo by Jake Naviasky

Yaeji

I am voting this November because I want to protect the people I love and vouch for the ones who are underrepresented and disadvantaged. The elections in New York, where I live, seem safely Democratic-leaning. Not all Democratic candidates have agendas that consider minority communities such as LGBTQ+ and people of color, and not all candidates have the cleanest record (like Governor Andrew Cuomo), but it’s our best bet to vote for the Democratic candidates who have a chance of being elected.

Ballot proposals, on the other hand, are the part of this election that we can really change, and they may prove to be significant. For those who are unaware, on the back of each ballot cast in New York City, there are three proposals that we can choose “yes” or “no” on. This year, they are:

Question 1: Campaign Finance

I vote yes. If voted yes, the city will lower the amount of funds a candidate running for office can accept. This means less influence from wealthy special interests/big money donors and the enabling of more people with diverse backgrounds and experiences to run for office. In other words, it encourages candidates to focus more on directly communicating with actual voters.

Question 2: Civic Engagement Commission

I vote yes. Yes means the city will create a new budget program for town meetings. People who attend the meetings can assign it where they want. This means people have more control over where their tax money goes. Also language interpreters will be provided as resource—very important!

Question 3: Community Boards

I vote yes. Currently, in many neighborhoods, the community board members are mostly (if not all) white, straight, and over the age of 40, as well as predominantly male. This definitely does not accurately represent the diverse community of New York City. If we say yes to this proposal, members will be limited to four consecutive two-year terms. The community boards can become more diverse and more reflective of their neighborhoods’ demographics.

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Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth, Body/Head)

The United States—well, really the Disunited States today—is a body, and democracy a muscle. Voting is our way of exercising it. Without this, our democracy will atrophy. When I vote, I feel a tingle of excitement. It’s a small power but it’s contagious, and it adds up when we come together to vote on issues and people who reflect our values. I’ve seen that with the momentum of Beto[O’Rourke]’s campaign: hope and joy, money raised without corporations. It’s grassroots, DIY. It’s punk rock.

On the ballot in California, where I live, Proposition 2 addresses the mentally ill homeless population here. Many homeless are so because there is no one filling out their forms and getting them into the system. They are repeatedly arrested and put in jail, then eventually released out into the streets. It’s been found that treating people with mental illness only begins to work if they have a consistent shelter. This bill proposes to take 1 percent from earners making over a million dollars. They hope to raise $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion a year. It’s a complicated issue but this seems like the right approach.

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Britt Daniel (Spoon)

It’s pretty cool to see Democrats engaged in Texas because I’ve been voting there my whole life and there hasn’t been a lot to get excited about. We haven’t won a statewide election in over 20 years, but now we’ve got some momentum for once. I think a lot of that has to do with Beto [O’Rourke] and the type of candidate that he is. He represents real Texas values, and I don’t see that in our current senator [Ted Cruz], who favors tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy while cutting back on Medicare, social security, and education.

If there’s an issue that is personal for me, because I see it affecting so many people I know, it’s affordable college. A bachelor’s degree has become a basic requirement for entering the workforce, yet it’s so expensive. People are leaving college with a mortgage around their necks. Why can’t we make it free? It’s just a matter of priorities.

Photo by Colin Whitaker

ANOHNI

Noam Chomsky has referred to the Republican Party as “the most dangerous organization on Earth in human history,” due to its complete disregard for the future of the planet. Nothing is more important than the defeat of Republicans in as many races as possible on Tuesday. Please vote for the Democratic candidate, especially in swing districts and states.

In particular, I urge the people of California to vote yes on Proposition 10. Millions of tenants in California face eviction and displacement, and this proposal would allow communities in California to make their own rent control laws. It would allow low- and moderate-income people to stay in the communities they have built by protecting regular people from the greed of the real estate industry. I also urge people who live in California’s State Assembly District 15 (East Bay, Berkeley, Richmond) to vote for Jovanka Beckles. She is a Democratic Socialist and a true champion for the oppressed.

Photo by Kim Newmoney

Open Mike Eagle

There are people who would have you believe that voting doesn’t matter, but if it didn’t, there wouldn’t be nearly as much investment in voter suppression and gerrymandering and candidate advertising. If voting didn’t matter, candidates wouldn’t talk like robots and do that laser-pointer thing with their hands. I always vote, and now I am in possession of a Maxine Waters voter guide and I plan on doing what she tells me to do. Did you know her response to having a bomb mailed to her was “I ain’t scared”? I love her.

I hope that the midterms continue what seems to be a new level of energized engagement after the garbage king was elected. I hope to be a part of a shift in left-wing voter engagement that scares the shit out of the administration and the scumbag Republicans who chose to throw in with the garbage parade. I hope to be a part of the moment that reshapes Congress into something that has some genuine connection to real human beings.

If people are still apathetic about voting, I would tell them to read books. I would tell them that when it comes to civic engagement, their feelings don’t matter as much as the facts do. I would tell them that people used to hit people with rocks for not voting the way they wanted them to, and those guys would love to hear that so many people think voting doesn’t matter anymore.

Photo by Helen Boast Photography/Redferns

Aaron Dessner (The National)

I’m a supporter of Antonio Delgado, who’s running for Congress in New York’s 19th District [Hudson Valley, the Catskills]. He was a Rhodes Scholar and a musician, and he’s just very inspiring. He’s passionate about a lot of core progressive issues and really resonates with the kind of groundswell and grassroots activism happening up here. I’ve seen him speak a couple of times and just hearing him talk about gun control, healthcare, and basic civil rights stuff, he seems like someone who would be a fighter in Washington and help roll back this crazy move towards proto-fascism.

The band has also supported Julie Oliver, who’s the candidate for Congress in Texas’s 25th District. That’s a weird, gerrymandered district, but she has a decent chance against this guy Roger Williams. Julie’s amazing and when we invited her onstage with us at Austin City Limits, we were just honored to be on the same stage as her.

Photo by Sarrah Danzinger

Alynda Segarra (Hurray for the Riff Raff)

In Louisiana we have Amendment 2 on the ballot, which is really important. Right now, Louisiana and Oregon are the only states where someone can get charged with a felony even if there are two people on the jury who think you’re innocent. This amendment wants to change that and make it so there has to be an unanimous jury in order for someone to get charged with a felony. Amendment 2 could really change a lot of people’s lives, whether it’s people of color, queer people, or sex workers—people who are targeted by the system that’s supposed to work for them.

I grew up around punks who did not vote, who were like, “Fuck the system, why would you bother voting?” Granted, it was a lot of white punks who were saying that, but when I was a kid, I kind of thought that, too. But right now I’m thinking about the people who cannot vote, specifically undocumented people who are are in danger. Now I try to use my vote to help stop violence against the people and communities I care about.

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Bun B

I’m voting because it’s my right as an American citizen. I pay my taxes, I raised my family in this country, and it’s written in the Constitution. Even though it did take people of color awhile to get the vote, I understand the sacrifices that were made by generations before me. I want to make sure that I respect the efforts put forward by my forefathers, that they fought for and some people died for.

Beto O’Rourke is a very progressive candidate, and he’s not a divisive candidate. His take on a political campaign is refreshing. I support people who are trying to bring this country together, as opposed to tear it apart. And I definitely agree with him on marijuana: I think it’s time to legalize in this state [Texas], which could use the revenue anyway. It’s time for this country as a whole, not just California and Colorado and some other states, to decriminalize marijuana. I would love to see this country move further, take a cue from Canada, and then erase all the records of people who have a criminal record from possession of marijuana.